The Peat Shortage: A Look At The Next Harvest

Paul Short, the president of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), weighs in on the peat industry’s 2012 harvesting plans, the availability of retail peat next spring and other peat-related issues surrounding this year’s peat shortage.

GG: CSPMA members represent nearly all of North America’s peat production: How are your members advising growers to react in terms of buying and using peat moss

PS: The [peat] industry is encouraging each grower to work directly with the peat producer to identify solutions on a case by case and company by company basis.

GG: What effect is this shortage having on pricing and the availability of straight peat versus mixes?

PS: To date, what is emerging from producers is a deliberate trend to prioritize mix volumes over straight peat supply. The outcome may be a challenge to the availability of straight peat products.

GG: If growers cannot access the amount of peat they need, what other materials are peat producers advising growers use in the interim?

PS: The horticulture industry currently has a whole variety of substrate materials available beyond peat. These include coir, compost, bark, rock wool – which are the most prominent. Some or all of these products are available directly from our producers, who offer a full range of product options to meet the demands of individual clients.

GG: Are there plans to ramp up the peat harvest in 2012 to ensure another shortage does not happen come 2013.

PS: Our peat harvest is conditioned on the weather. The current shortage is directly attributed to the over-abundance of rain, cool weather and the lack of good drying conditions (wind and sun). The industry harvest plans for next year, not withstanding an individual company’s preparedness, will fully depend on natural seasonal weather conditions that, as we all know, are unpredictable.

If conditions are favorable, our companies will harvest at the rate and degree to which the environmental values for proper bog management are maintained, safety of operations is ensured and quality of the peat product is not jeopardized.

Historically, as a prudent business practice, our industry has structured its yearly harvest to build an inventory buffer that can be drawn upon to help in offsetting a poor season. Next year, dependent on the harvest conditions, the industry will once again strive to achieve this buffer inventory as we return to a normal business year.

You may find producers will adjust their harvest pattern accordingly. This year, I know one company, because it understood very clearly there were problems in Eastern Canada, moved some of its staffing to the West.

GG: What effect will this shortage have on the availability and pricing of bagged peat at retail stores for consumers interested in buying?

PS: At this time there have been no indications that there will be a retail store level shortage for next year. Much may depend on the harvest startup next spring. An early start up will benefit both commercial and retail.

A mix of peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite, and compost or organic fertilizers, can provide a suitable environment with sufficient water-holding capacity, nutrient content, and aeration for plant growth and development.

In standard greenhouse fertilizers, nitrogen is supplied as ammonium, nitrate, or urea. Each of these three nitrogen sources, when taken up by plant roots, produces different chemical reactions with differing effects on the growing medium pH.

Water and nutrient management are critical elements for quality plant production in the greenhouse. Maintaining the right amounts of available moisture and fertilizer at all times can be pretty labor intensive, but there are tools available to help you keep these inputs at optimum levels as efficiently as possible. Recently, we visited Evonik Industries’ North Carolina production plant for to see how one of these products — Stockosorb — is made, how it works, and learn the benefits of incorporating these tools in your own operation. Learn more about Evonik Industries’ Stockosorb hydrogel product on the Stockosorb website.

Manufacturers are delivering new growing media products to help growers attempt to minimize their footprint without sacrificing quality. Here are nine new products to consider for your greenhouse operation.

According to an August 31 survey of members of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), whose members represent approximately 95 percent of all North American peat production, the peat harvest season has been adequate, but not strong, and could cause shortages and potentially higher transportation costs. Down To The Dirty Details The survey inquired about the status of CSPMA members’ 2015 Actual Harvest (including an estimate of what can be expected to be harvested for the remainder of the season) as a percentage of their 2015 Expected Harvest. The lack of a strong harvest overall may challenge peat availability. The Prairie Provinces (Manitoba 98 percent, Saskatchewan 88 percent and Alberta 94 percent), experienced early favorable weather conditions and a strong start to the year. This helped to minimize periodic, negative, weather-related conditions during the balance of the harvest season, and the harvest numbers are close to achieving the expected amounts. […]

My father started our company 45 years ago growing bedding plants, mainly early season production and finished plants for our West Virginia market. It was in the early 1980s that we started growing earlier spring production and shipping materials to southern markets, and by the late 1980s, we also produced pansies for fall. We started using hydrogels when they first came on the market in the early 1990s and found that they really helped with our production by keeping plants healthier for these new markets. Over the years, we’ve grown to be a large young plant producer and have a sizable business growing finished plants in cell packs, 4 1/2-inch pots, 6-inch pots, gallon containers, hanging baskets, multiple sizes of large containers and large baskets for municipal use. Creating The Ideal Soil Mix With our old system, it took several workers to mix pre-made soil with slow-release fertilizers in cement […]